Saving Merchant’s House Museum

Hello! Sorry I have been out of commission this week, I was literally out of commission, with the stomach flu. Ugh. Thankfully, I’m feeling better just in time for the weekend! So if you ever venture over to the My Stuff section of Lacquered Life, you will find that I mention a favorite historic house museum, Merchant’s House Museum. Located on East Fourth Street between Bowery and Lafayette in New York, the Merchant’s House is the only fully preserved 19th century home in New York. Stepping inside the beautiful Greek Revival Merchant’s House is like stepping back in time, or straight into a Henry James or Edith Wharton novel – a dream.Many of the architectural details of the Merchant’s House Museum are unparalleled, and it is said that the decorative plasterwork in the double parlors, seen above, is some of the most valuable intact ornamental plaster from the period and surpasses even that of the White House. Oh, and did I mention the walled garden behind the house? It is like walking into the secret garden, on East Fourth Street! This post has a motivation. The Merchant’s House Museum is in grave danger as a developer threatens to build a nine story hotel adjacent to the building. The demolition of the existing structure next door and the construction of a nine story building will be catastrophic to many of the architectural details of the Merchant’s House. It is so important that we support the Merchant’s House Museum and protect these unique and irreplaceable parts of our cities and towns. So if you live in NYC or are in town, go visit MHM. Take a tour, perhaps participate in one of their 19th century walking tours of the neighborhood, or learn about the irish immigrant experience in NYC. Maybe even make a donation or purchase a membership. Because every dollar, and every minute we appreciate places like this, and strive to protect them, makes a difference. Visit www.merchantshouse.org for more information.

2 Comments

Thrilled to see this lovely post about the Merchant House! Sadly, they lost the LPC vote. Of course, the real losers are those of us who hold historic preservation in high regard. Nevertheless, I loved your observations!